Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

It was often considered the bad toupee of the landscaping world by people who observed the glaringly fake grass that started appearing in the 1960s. Back then, it could even give football players the equivalent of rug burns if they were tackled on the stuff.

Though scoffing might still be a frequent response today when the topic comes up, the artificial turf industry has quietly reinvented itself and has been winning converts among residential and commercial customers fed up with planting, watering, mowing, edging, feeding, weeding, aerating, patching and all the other tasks of nurturing a real lawn.

"I had an area in the front with a large tree, and I couldn't get the grass to grow," says Clarence Parkison, of Livermore, who recently had faux turf installed. Now, it not only looks good -- "nice and green, trimmed," he says -- but current water restrictions might have doomed a real lawn, or at least have turned it brown.

Morgan Hill resident Helena Lowe says, "All my neighbors' grass is dead," alluding to irrigation restrictions put in place because of the drought. "It's just horrific. And mine is beautiful and green. Everyone always asks me, 'Who's taking care of your lawn?' "

Both Lowe and Parkison opted for higher-end, domestic-made ersatz turf, from one of several regional installers that get glowing comments on social media.

More aesthetically pleasing to many than a dry xeriscape of colored rocks, today's startlingly realistic artificial grass has come a long way in both quality and practicality. Many U.S.-made products are nonflammable, lead-free and nontoxic, making them fine for kids and pets. And they can be recycled.

But they're not cheap. "The initial outlay is expensive," says Burlingame resident Maureen Supanich. "But when you come down to it, it's really reasonable," she says, considering the costs of caring for a lawn yourself or paying a gardener to do that if pushing a mower isn't your thing.

According to Lance Schepps of South San Francisco's Onelawn, which manufactured and installed Supanich's turf, "For a residential application, you're looking at between $10 and $15 a square foot, installed." He contrasts that to natural turf prices starting at $2 a square foot for the base option and going up to $6 per square foot or more if irrigation is being added.

"You may spend 50 to 60 percent more for an artificial turf system than natural grass because sod's very cheap," says Brad Borgman of Heavenly Greens, a San Jose artificial turf installer. "The payback, if you're going with artificial, is anywhere from three to six years, depending on your water consumption and how you're using the surface."

While mock grass doesn't require a lot of attention, it's actually low-maintenance, rather than no-maintenance. According to Gabriel Hernandez of the Bay Area installer Better Than Real Artificial Grass, the homeowner with faux turf will need to "remove yard debris (and), depending on foot traffic, brush the blades up. That's pretty much it," he says. "If they have a dog, we advise they rinse off the lawn once a week."

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Removing a lawn? Check out synthetic turf

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -

The University of Minnesota's stadium is getting a grassy makeover in preparation for an international soccer match.

The university is covering the artificial turf in TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with real grass for a Saturday match between England's Manchester City club and Greece's Olympiacos club. An assistant athletics director tells WCCO-TV it takes 30 trucks and 10,000 square yards of sod to do the job, which began Tuesday. The sod comes from a North Branch farm.

The match is part of the Guinness International Champions Cup tournament being played in the U.S. and Canada. A tournament spokesman tells the Star Tribune that running on real grass is better for players' legs.

The sod will be removed by Tuesday so the field can be painted before a Minnesota Vikings game.

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Minnesota stadium installs grass for soccer match

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - The coundown is on. Beginning August 1, the Coastal Carolina University Campus will be smoke-free for both students and faculty.

Coastal Carolina officials refer to this as a "soft start" for the students and full faculty that will not be arriving for a couple of weeks. However that does not mean they will be lenient with this new policy.

The University's Board of Trustees approved the policy in December.

CCU officials felt it was time to jump on board with the smoke-free initiative that other college and university campuses have already put in place.

In South Carolina, 23 campuses have approved going tobacco-free.

The Director of News and Public Affairs for CCU explained they took many things into account before making the decision.

They looked at studies that show as a whole, students who don't smoke have higher GPAs and not only that, but the health risks for even second-hand smokers sparked a huge student backing.

CCU officials feel it was time to be proactive instead of reactive to a mandate forcing them to ban smoking. The reason behind this online countdown is for the word to travel -- no more tobacco products on campus at all not even e-cigarettes.

"So that everybody's ready. we want everyone to know about this and be prepared for the transition from having smoking allowed in just a few sections of campus to no longer having tobacco allowed on campus at all," explained Martha Hunn, Director of News and Public Affairs.

All tobacco products will be banned from Coastal Carolina University grounds. Hunn said that means people will not be able to smoke in their cars either.

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The coast Is clear: No more smoke at Coastal Carolina University

By Kate BurkeAug. 1, 2014, 6 a.m.

As part of our new property feature we'll be taking a look inside some of the city's premier properties.

As part of our new Feels Like Home property feature we'll be taking a look inside some of the city's premier properties and talking to the families who live there.

A sophisticated and spacious family home that embraces luxury with a country lifestyle has come onto the property market for the very first time.

The Blue Ridge Drive property, built by local master builder Steve Rigby, offers its owners resort-style living.

Owner Jo Deane-Butcher said the home was perfect for a family who liked to entertain.

"It is a great family home and a great house for entertaining," she said.

"It would also be excellent as a B & B as it has a self contained granny flat."

Including the self-contained separate accommodation, the home boasts six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen and family room, a formal living and dining room, a large laundry and a rumpus room.

The master-built home, which has previously featured in the Spring Spectacular, overlooks approximately 2000 square metres of exquisite gardens and is embraced by a warm Northerly aspect.

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Feels like home ... Blue Ridge Drive sophistication | Photos

How to Improve your Office with Feng Shui
Join +Carol Dodsley for a conversation with +Debra Jarvis and discover how you can use #FengShui principles to improve your productivity in your office and increase overall balance, harmony...

By: Carol Dodsley

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How to Improve your Office with Feng Shui - Video

Inspira Hotels - Feng Shui Tree Room
At Inspira Hotels, the design process of our rooms follow the Feng Shui guidelines. This is a presentation of a Tree Room, at Inspira Santa Marta Hotel, ideal for those who need an ascending...

By: InspiraSantaMarta

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Inspira Hotels - Feng Shui Tree Room - Video

DSP and the Limitations of Feng Shui
Move over, Tommy Wiseau; This room makes even less sense. Fun fact: YouTube asked me if I wanted to improve the video due to all the shaking.

By: pyromegadeth

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DSP and the Limitations of Feng Shui - Video

Bhavishyavani July 30, 2014
Watch BHAVISHYAVANI with Acharya Indu Prakash, who tells your daily horoscope, numerological fortune, alphabetical fortune and gives tips on vaastu shastra and feng-shui along with astrological...

By: IndiaTV

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Bhavishyavani July 30, 2014 - Video

MANILA -- In an interview with Tempo, feng shui practitioner Hanz Cua gave tips on what to do during "Ghost Month," which this year starts on July 27 and lasts until August 24.

Cua was quoted as saying, "Wear lots of red, avoid black (which attracts ghosts), and dont whistle. And dont forget to offer chicken, rice, sweets, cigarettes, and beer for the hungry spirits or lost souls that will roam around."

He added, "During Ghost Month, the Gates of Hell (or the underworld) are sprung open and the hungry ghosts or lost souls will roam around to visit their families or find victims among the living." Cua suggested the steps to making the so-called hungry ghosts happy:

1. Offer them things (usually food) that made them happy when they were still alive. The offering should be done at least once a week for one month.

2. Light two small red candles and say a prayer as you offer. Usually, the ritual takes hours. If the candles are still burning, that would mean the ghosts are still eating.

3. You should also burn "hell's money" or paper money that will serve as incense. This should not be confused with real money. "Hell's money" can be bought in Chinese stores.

4. When the candle and paper money rites are finished, you can eat the food.

Cu explained: "If you make the lost souls happy, they will bring you wealth. The more paper money (not to be confused with the actual money) you burn, the more wealth you will receive. Prayers are also very important."

Cua also said that "activities that should be strictly avoided during the Ghost Month include getting married, starting a new business, buying a new home, transferring to a new house, swimming, outdoor camping, traveling to far places, and undergoing surgery."

In countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, Ghost Month offerings are placed out in the street. In the Philippines, the offerings are usually placed by the window.

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Are you ready for 'Ghost Month'

Privacy Fence, Inc - Custom Fences - Springdale AR 72764
http://local.nwaonline.com/b29854194/Privacy+Fence%2C+Inc?type= Make your house stand out with a one of a kind custom fence from Privacy Fence, Inc. We #39;ll work with you to create a design...

By: 121DigitalMarketing

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Privacy Fence, Inc - Custom Fences - Springdale AR 72764 - Video